AHIMA Takes Member Matters to Capitol Hill: Three Takeaways from The Advocacy Summit

More than 150 motivated AHIMA members attended our Advocacy Summit this past March. From safeguarding health data privacy to improving patient matching and more, we discussed issues that will shape the future of our industry for years to come.

For the first time in four years, we were able to discuss these issues in person. Our collective efforts to advocate for improved health information policies took us to Capitol Hill, where we engaged with Congress about critical policies to improve health information for all.

Here are three insights from this year’s Summit.

1. We mobilized around Data for Better Health.

As you may know, social and environmental factors predominantly drive our health. However, we found that nearly eight in 10 healthcare organizations struggle to correctly capture and use social determinants of health (SDOH) data, which tracks factors such as homelessness, food insecurity, transportation challenges, and literacy levels. This data (or lack thereof) becomes part of our permanent health records.

During our visit to Capitol Hill, we asked policymakers to help fund education so that the healthcare field as a whole can better capture and use SDOH data. While we realize the government has competing budget priorities, the workforce needs to better understand, document, and gain insights from these consequential determinants. These changes would lead to more informed decision-making and  ultimately reduce health disparities, leading to better, more equitable health outcomes.

AHIMA is helping to shape how the field collects, shares, and uses SDOH data. For example, the Data for Better Health initiative provides tools, resources, and education to support a better understanding of the importance of SDOH data and how it can be used to improve health and healthcare outcomes.

2. We went to bat for patient matching.

While other sectors have for decades used efficient and secure identification systems to exchange information, the healthcare industry has no such tool. You can use a debit card at an ATM anywhere in the world, but you can’t enter an out-of-network hospital and have immediate access to your personal medical information.

That’s because Section 510 from the Department of Labor-US Department of Health and Human Services bill bans the use of federal funding to create or even investigate the benefits of patient identifiers, which are similar to social security numbers. These identifiers would help providers correctly match patients to their data, improve patient safety, and reduce the likelihood of fraud and billing errors — issues that have only worsened since the pandemic.

While we’ve made progress in calling attention to this issue, it’s still under contention. That’s why, during our Advocacy Summit, we pressed members of Congress to strike Section 510 from its bill.

3. We made the connection between policy work and real life.

Regulatory requirements are not always looked at favorably. But they can be critical safeguards, protecting patients, promoting needed education, and supporting continuity of care. AHIMA members understand that the policies they champion have the ability to directly influence their day-to-day lives and the healthcare field at large.

This could not have been clearer than during this year’s Advocacy Summit. By attending discussions on the Office of Civil Rights’ role in privacy, health equity, implementation of the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA), healthcare policy, and government affairs, members gained insights into the current challenges and priorities in the healthcare field. Recognizing that their active involvement in shaping healthcare policies can drive improvements in data privacy, health equity, interoperability, and patient care, members lobbied on Capitol Hill for legislative changes that will facilitate data exchange, maintain data quality, and uphold ethical standards.

It is through our collective advocacy work that healthcare policies evolve, adapt, and become more responsive to the needs of patients and providers. Thank you for showing up and helping us drive this meaningful change.

Keith Olenik, MA, RHIA, CHP, is chief health information officer of AHIMA.

Editor’s Note: While AHIMA looks to name a full-time CEO, members of the organization’s executive leadership team will provide monthly messages.